Most polyester-based resins are prepared from monomers obtained from petroleum or are man-made materials, (“conventional monomers”). With an increased focus on impact on environment and health, there is an interest and/or a need to find suitable replacements to reduce health risk and negative environmental impact associated with carrier and toner production and use.
Bio-based monomers in polymeric materials reduce dependency on fossil fuels and render the polymeric materials more sustainable. Recently, the USDA proposed that all toner/ink have a bio content of at least 10%.
Toner resins using bio-based monomers were described, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,580,472. Nevertheless, there remains a need to use same successfully and to increase the bio-content of toner, and to incorporate bio-content into carriers, the other element of two-component developers comprising toner particles and carriers, while maintaining or improving favorable toner, carrier and developer properties.
A bio-based resin, including those with a high C/O ratio, which can be formulated into a toner particle or to coat a carrier, is described.